Goals

Under the auspices of the Minority Faculty Development Program (MFDP) at Harvard Medical School, three scholarships will be awarded annually. Scholars will complete academic work that leads to the Master in Public Health (MPH) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, or the Master in Public Administration at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and gain exposure to and an understanding of the major issues in minority health and policy, cultural competence, health disparities, and health workforce diversity. To prepare underrepresented minority leaders, who will, over time, improve the capacity of the health care system to address the health needs of minority and disadvantaged populations in California, the program has the following goals:

To provide strong academic training that leads to a Master's degree in public health and/or in public administration

To provide advanced leadership and cultural competence training to scholars

To create a network of health professional leaders capable of advancing multicultural health interests in the public, nonprofit, and academic sectors

To connect Scholars with Harvard senior faculty and California-based professional mentors

To provide program graduates with firsthand experience with grantees of The Endowment in the areas of cultural competence, health disparities, health workforce diversity, and access to health care, allowing them to integrate training with practical application in a real-world setting

To bring together the faculty and resources of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government to provide an enhanced curriculum that addresses issues of public health policy and practice and multiculturalism.